A Visit From The Devil

A 2ïq prut! pi] lot in tho library of the f dit .u of a defiartrncnt of Tho Repnblio iteaia tho followingquaint titlc: "A Straugo and Terrible Wundcr Ronght Vexio Lately In tho Parish Chnrch of Buugay - oamely, on tho fourth of thys August in the Y cero of onr Lordo 1577. " The story, stripped of the quaint lauguage iu -whicb it is couched, and brief - ly tokl, is as follows: A storm of extraordiuary fnry raged dnriug divine services iu the chnrch allnded to; rain foll in torrents, and tho lightning flashed "bine, red, green and in a misturo of indescribable colors, " whilo tho (bunder peala "not ouly disquieted men and dnmb creatures, buüsenselessthiugs devoid of nll lifo and feeling trembled and shook with terror. " Whilo tho tempest was at its height, a fiend froni tho lowcr regions appeurce n tho midst of the, terror strioken congregation. Tho r.ccount says: "It was u forrn, us %vcl! as could bo discerned, of an enormoua dog, of black color, the sigbt whevcüf, togetbei with tho icaii'ul flashes of Cro vvhich thon wcro seen, moved many minds to tho belief th;:t the end of timo had como, and that doomsday 7as upon ns. Tho evil ouo, for ho it was iu snch strango likeness, ran with es traordiuary spoed into that portion of tho church wbere tho majority of tho congregation waa seated. In doing so it p:issed between two persons who wero upon their knees in tho attitude of prayer, grasped and wrung the necks of both in an instant, so that they died presentlyas they knelt. As ho ed by anothcr ho gavo him snch a grip on the back that ho was drawu togpthcr and instantly filirnnken up liko a piece of leathcr scorched iu a hot iire. " Lcaviug tho chnrch at Bungay, tbo dcvil is Baid to havo "fluwu with a grcate noiso ond rustliug" to the church at Blibery, eevon miles away. Ho.was seeu to Blijïhtnpon tbo roof and to instautly pass Ihrongh it, dropping froia tbo vaulted ceiling npon tho huads of tbreo persons ( 1 .t men and a boy, ) who were all instaly killed, "beying scratched bye tho horyd tbing and burued to nearlie a cracklyng. " The "Book of Wonderons Visitatious, " pnbüshed in 1C87, 110 years after the events inentioned abovo, says that the prints of tho dovil'e claws wbere herandown tho aislo of tho Bungav ohurch'were then stiil plainly to bo